Secret Agent Marimo
by The Pineapple Husky
Summary: AU. Zoro has become the newest secret agent at the Onigiri Inc. intelligence agency. However, he soon finds that his fellow agents are far from the ordinary...
1. Welcome to Onigiri Incorporated

_Hello everybody! I'm The Pineapple Husky. Now, I'm almost positive that I'm not the only one who has thought up the concept of One Piece secret agents, but I wanted to take a shot at it. XD This is my first OP story, and I'm soooo nervous because I'm so bad at fanfictions. ;-; I'm so horrible with keeping the characters IN character. So please, I'd love for you to tell me how I am with OOC-ness and how I may fix it. Yesyes, it's an AU story._

Title: Secret Agent Marimo

Author: The Pineapple Husky

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Various subtle hints at certain pairings

Summary: Zoro has become the newest secret agent at the Onigiri Inc. agency; however, he soon finds that his fellow agents are far from the ordinary...

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_Disclaimer_: I do not own Zoro or any other related One Piece characters, ideas, or places, and I am... not a secret agent. XD Also, I do not own anything that I may make a reference to anytime within the story or anything of the sort. This is merely a story for entertainment purposes only.

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**_Chapter One:_** Welcome to Onigiri Incorporated

* * *

It was evident from the very start that he was absolutely perfect. His drive, his strength, his build, his disposition: everything was perfect. The very moment the agency had gotten word on this phenomenal man, their only desire was to hire him immediately. They needed him, absolutely, positively; he was like no other. That man, that strange, outstanding man, was to be their new top agent.

* * *

"On behalf of the Onigiri Inc. agency, I wish to congratulate you. It is quite remarkable that you were accepted so abruptly; many of us were accepted only after eighteen months of hearty training," a man laughed as he held his hand out to greet the newest addition to the agency. 

The other simply stared at him. "What exactly _is_ this place?"

The older man dropped is hand and smirked apprehensively. "Why, it's Onigiri Incorporated! It's only the most potent and secretive intelligence agency that exists!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you say… intelligence agency?"

"I did," said the man with a nod. "And you are the newest agent! With a pretty high rank, might I add," he grinned, nudging him with his elbow. He quickly interrupted before the other could speak, "Oh! I'm dearly sorry, please forgive me… I haven't introduced myself. I am Merry, a retired agent of Onigiri Inc. I was formerly 'Agent 689400', back when the agency used numbers rather than code names. It's truly a pleasure to see someone of your being here at The Oni, Mr. Roronoa."

"And why, exactly, does 'The Oni' want _me_?" Mr. Roronoa inquired.

Merry laughed genuinely. "Why _not_, Mr. Roronoa? Now, if you please, I shall give you a tour of Onigiri Inc."

Mr. Roronoa felt his arm tugged sharply before a protest could escape his mouth. He disliked being referred to as "Mr. Roronoa", preferring to be called by his first name of Zoro, though he understood that he soon would be called this no longer. The thought of sporting a codename for an intelligence agency was tossed about in his mind as the older man pulled him through the building. He pondered what he would be named, and he pondered of the other agents.

As all these thoughts swam through his head, he took notice of the appearance of the vicinity. Everything, it seemed, had a blazing silver gleam; all was shining and glowing from the sunbeams that passed through the sky-lights. The sheen of the tiled floor was so reflective that each tile mirrored what it saw without a single bit of distortion. Each wall glittered with silver material as well, and would be as emulating as mirrors had they not been plastered with as many documents, papers, and computer screens as they could hold. The skylights that made up the whole ceiling shone above pewter bars that crossed one another and cast shadows upon the tile below. These bars were so high above and the walls so far away, it felt as though Zoro was but a speck of dirt inside of an endless shoebox.

While his mind digested the environment, Merry had reached an enormous steel door. Zoro noted the sensitive black pad beside it and watched as Merry pressed his palm against the ebony square. One by one, four small lights above the pad illuminated and emitted a sound as each one lit.

_Bip! Bip! Bip! BEEP!_

A feminine voice rang out above them. "Access accepted," it said. "Welcome back to Onigiri Incorporated, Agent Sixty-Eight Ninety-Four Hundred."

With that, the steel door parted in the middle and each half slid rumbling into the wall to permit the two of them through into the next wing of the agency. Zoro stepped from behind Merry to peek beyond the doors and made out about a hundred figures, each one dressed in a black blazer, a black neck-tie, and either a black skirt or black pants.

Merry laughed somewhat diffidently. "It seems that they still recognize me as 689400. Forgive me; it has been years since my hand has opened those doors." He then brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "Now then. What you see before you is Onigiri Inc. Everyone standing before you – they are your fellow agents." He started walking past the steel door and Zoro followed.

"Everybody here at 'The Oni'," he began, "has a specific duty. However, everybody also must be able and willing to work as an undercover spy; this is, without a doubt, an _awfully dangerous_ occupation." Merry turned to a window that viewed a separate room. "For example, the agents here are specialized in the art of inventing. These agents are the ones who make the various gadgets that we use in 'missions'." With a fond smile, Merry pointed out one agent in particular; his hair was quite wavy and his nose was abnormally long. "That is Agent Sniper. He is quite the talented one, and, as his name suggests, a great sniper when in combat, though he has a terrible habit of stretching the truth.

"Moving on," Merry spoke as he continued the tour, passing through a door and onto an elevated walkway. "This room holds many of the computers." He motioned over the balcony of the walkway to a place below filled with screens, keyboards, processors, papers, and several more of those black-clothed figures performing their duties. "These machines can process anything imaginable. You'll find that they can come in handy when we're in a tight fix. Anybody can use them: they're free to every agent and are in every nook and cranny of this building. In here, however, we usually have special agents monitoring missions… Ah! Here are two now. Mr. Roronoa, it'd delight me for you to meet Agent Tangerine and her assistant Agent Princess."

Two female agents stopped as they heard their names spoken and gave Merry a slight bow of respect. Both were very slender, and both sported the seemingly standard uniform of ebony material. The hair of one was such a bright shade of orange that it made Zoro blink and her eyes were a defiant brown; this was Agent Tangerine, he presumed. The other had hair of soft periwinkle that was pulled back into a flowing ponytail; certainly appearing more timid than her supervisor was Agent Princess.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Roronoa," said the latter with a smile.

Agent Tangerine raised an eyebrow. "_You're_ the new agent?"

Her tone instantly drew a frown on Zoro's face. He restrained himself from raising his voice to her and, with some difficulty, calmly shook his head. "I've decided nothing yet. It was only this morning that I received a letter stating that I was accepted into this place."

"Accepted?" she scoffed. "Nobody's gotten accepted into 'The Oni' just like that, especially nobody looking like _you_."

"Miss Tangerine," Merry quickly interrupted, stepping between her and Zoro before he could lunge at her, "I believe that you and Agent Princess are needed below."

Agent Princess bowed politely to Merry and tugged the sleeve of Agent Tangerine's blazer. "Come, now, Miss Tangerine. We mustn't forget about the paperwork we intended to file." With that, she quietly led the hot-headed agent to the lower level and into the mass of machines and paper.

"So, now… carrying on," Merry continued once again on the tour. Zoro stole one last glance over the balcony at the fiery woman he'd met before following the retired agent further down the walkway.

"The creators of Onigiri Inc. have taken the pains to place it in the most remote location possible. Therefore, with only a single exception, the only way to enter or exit the agency is by flight. Beyond this door," – Merry patted a particularly large and heavy metal door with a viewing window beside it; Zoro noted a loud whirring noise produced from behind it – "several skilled agents are building the Onigiri Aircraft."

Zoro peeked through the glass and surveyed the working agents, each dressed in engineering clothing, but also each sporting a black neck-tie. Merry chuckled slightly and, in pointing out one agent in particular with gelled azure hair and a gleaming nose, explained to Zoro, "That is Agent Super. What an agent! He is not only talented, but the man is a cyborg. Intriguing, isn't it?"

Merry stepped back and resumed, "Now, to fly an aircraft, you need pilots. But not just any pilots for these air carriers; you need specially trained Onigiri Pilots." He turned to a heavy metal door and viewing window mirroring the one Zoro stood beside across the walkway. Zoro walked to him and observed the 'Onigiri Pilots' training in some sort of simulation airplane.

With a slight cough, Merry picked out two agents from the group of pilots; one tan with black hair and sunglasses and the other with a buzz cut and a plaid yellow neck-tie in place of the standard black one. "Those are Agents Plaid and Shades. Agent Shades is a newer addition to the agency, and Agent Plaid, who is a little more experienced as an agent, took him under his wing. Now they've become very close; which is, you'll find, not the _best_ of things when you're an agent.

"Oh, don't get me wrong!" Merry subjoined when Zoro shot him a strange look. "Teamwork is greatly encouraged; regardless of anything, _no_ agent can truly work alone. But… you see, it is very _hurtful_ to lose someone, be it death or double agency."

"Double agency?" Zoro questioned.

"Yes. You know, when an agent is working for two agencies simultaneously? Usually, they work mainly for one and gather 'intelligence' from another agency for their home one. The damage done by double agents can be devastating," Merry sighed. "And it is disheartening how many of them 'The Oni' has gone through."

Zoro glanced one final time at the pair of pilots, contemplating what was just told to him, and walked once again to Merry's side.

"Continuing on," Merry began again, leading the new agent around a corner, "this is the Onigiri Hall of Adversaries." Both walls were covered with framed photographs of the many villainous figures that kept Onigiri Inc. from receiving intelligence. Zoro noticed Merry acting quite giddy. Bending down to the bottom-most row of pictures, he motioned Zoro to one of the photographs, "These prints are too neat. You tap on the glass and…" Merry tapped once on the picture and there were flashes of lavender light. "…all the information you could ask for on that person appears right before you!" Miniature holographic screens appeared before the photograph, each listing all sorts of information on the adversary. It listed everything, Zoro noticed, from the man's history right down to his shoe size. With another tap, the screens vanished and Merry stood up.

"And, over this way," – Merry led him to the end of the Onigiri Hall of Adversaries where there stood a door; he typed a code into the keypad beside the entrance and it swung open – "is the Onigiri Hall of Agents."

Zoro followed Merry into the room and studied a few photographs. "As in the Hall of Adversaries, a single tap will show you anything you wish to know. Of course, this room is protected by a five-letter code that changes every three days; it'd be devastating to have this place fall into enemy hands. Our agents are trying to create a glass-like material that'd recognize the skin of only _our_ agents, but dear Lord knows when that would happen."

The sound of high-heeled footfalls rang into Zoro's ear. He turned from the photographs to find a tall woman with straight dark hair and blazingly blue eyes. Merry smiled kindly and she bowed politely. "Salutations, Agent Arms," he pronounced. "This is the new addition to 'The Oni', Mr. Roronoa."

Agent Arms grinned softly and said, "It is a pleasure, Mr. Roronoa. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful agent here." She produced a manila folder from her blazer. "I'm here to program more information on a few agents," she explained.

"Right, right," Merry nodded. "We'll leave you to your work. Let's continue, shall we?"

Zoro tore his eyes from her back to Merry. He nodded and proceeded out of the room, sneaking one last glance at the woman before the door closed behind him.

"Now then, carrying on," Merry continued yet again.

Zoro's mind had wandered for the following part of the tour. In retrospect, he vaguely remembers being shown a few of the researching rooms, how to work the Onigiri Computers, a sort of lounge, and a large conference room/auditorium. His head was too full to stay focused: the various agents he'd seen and their varying occupations, the technology of Onigiri Inc., double agency, his future code name…

Merry waved a hand before Zoro's eyes. Zoro blinked and snapped out of his reverie. Merry chuckled contritely, "My apologies, but you seem to have drifted off somewhere."

"I… I'm sorry. There's just a lot being thrown at me here, and I haven't decided whether I want to be an agent or not."

"…'Whether you want to be an agent or not'?!" Merry repeated angrily. "Mr. Roronoa, you don't have a choice! As of now, you've been too well informed on Onigiri Inc. to just decide you 'don't want to be an agent'! With… with all the knowledge you have, your only two options are 'join' or 'we kill you'."

Zoro stepped back from the man. He secretly wondered in his head before this event whether or not he could even become angry; he seemed a bit taken aback now at the sudden situation that had been thrust upon him.

'_Ah, what the hell,'_ he thought. He'd take joining a secret agency over death any day.

"Merry, sir; you've got yourself a new agent," Zoro announced to the man.

"Delighted to hear that, Mr. Roronoa," Merry beamed with a relieved expression. "There are only two places left I wish to show you. Now, if you please, we may resume?"

With a nod from the new agent, Merry led him past a few halls and through a few doors. They reached one final entrance and Merry held it open for Zoro to see through, though he urged him to not enter inside. "This," he said, "is our medical wing. As I've said previously, this job can be quite the dangerous one. Even back when I was an agent, I've had to spend a great deal of time here.

"Oh! Here is Agent X," Merry proclaimed. "Care to guess just exactly _what_ he is?"

Agent X, at the mention of his name, was quite startled and had involuntarily leaped into the air, releasing various test tubes from his grasp; he attempted to hide behind the door, however, he merely covered about half of his head with the rest of his body clearly visible. He was covered with auburn fur, with a blue nose and antlers that jutted out of a pink hat that displayed a white 'X' on the front.

Zoro was awfully confused. "But he's…"

"A reindeer," Merry concluded rather proudly. "And a brilliant doctor at that."

Zoro decided it was best to not ask questions.

"Tony-kun," came a soft voice from behind the wall.

Agent X relaxed suddenly and grinned. "Agent Riche!" he exclaimed.

Agent Riche showed herself and smiled sweetly to the reindeer; she appeared quite pale and she had soft, light blonde hair, and rather pretty, nonetheless. She then noticed Merry and beamed genuinely to him. "Merry! What a pleasant surprise to see you here," she called.

Merry grinned back, bowing slightly, "And it is a pleasure to see you too."

Agent Riche assisted Agent X in gathering the tubes he had dropped. Merry released the door to the wing and turned to Zoro. "Miss… 'Riche' as they call her now; I used to have to watch over her when she was in training. She's become a beautiful doctor now, don't you agree?" Merry positively overflowed with joy.

"Now, the final place that I believe you should see is the cafeteria," Merry said, guiding Zoro down another walkway and through a few more doors. He pushed open one last door and allowed Zoro to step inside. "Here is the Dining Hall of Onigiri Inc.," he stated.

The word 'cafeteria' failed to describe what Zoro saw: rather than being simply a large room with several long tables with missing legs and broken chairs and possibly a few fans and blinding florescent lights, the Onigiri Dining Hall was positively elegant. Glittering chandeliers with millions of diamonds and red velvet curtains hung from the ceiling, and each booth with black leather seats and a pallid satin tablecloth possessed flickering candelabra and a few wineglasses. Ivory statues of past agents posed fairly against the rosy wallpaper behind them, and a lighted fountain sputtered colored water. Dainty light fixtures on the walls each sprouted two red roses from its sides. Zoro was delightfully impressed at the classy restaurant feel.

Merry explained, "It's precisely like dining at a restaurant: you receive menus and are waited on by our cooks." They seated themselves at one of the booths.

Zoro examined the menu and found the selections were embroidered in golden thread on a sort of cardboard covered in a crimson silk; he also noted none of the selections listed a price next to them. Merry seemed to read his mind when he explained, "Everything here is free for our agents; it doesn't cost a thing and the cuisine is to die for."

He set down the menu and gazed around at the many chandeliers. Then he noticed another agent at a booth across the room. His hair was black and messy, and it seemed he disliked the black dress-code, for he wore a red vest with jean shorts. Not only this, but there must have been hundreds of plates and bowls stacked on his table, and he was engulfing whatever meal he had at an alarming rate. As this was happening, a tall, blonde man strode calmly to his table with a trail of smoke flowing from the cigarette in his mouth; from his attire, Zoro assumed he was one of the Onigiri Chefs.

Merry tapped Zoro on the shoulder and clarified that the chef was Agent Prince and the other was Agent Strawhat, one of the strongest agents that Onigiri Inc. ever trained. In a second glance at Agent Strawhat, Zoro had found that piece of information rather hard to believe.

Agent Prince crossed his arms. "Oi, oi, aren't you finished yet?" he asked the agent with the hunger of a wolf.

Agent Strawhat, with his mouth filled with meat, held up an empty rice bowl to the cook; "More, please."

"More?!" Agent Prince fumed. "This is your seventy-fourth serving!"

"So?" he shrugged, swallowing with some difficulty. "I'm still hungry."

Agitated and exasperated, Agent Prince snatched the bowl and stomped back the kitchen with a sour expression. A few moments later he returned to find Agent Strawhat completely out cold on the table, passed out from the enormous meal. His hands shook furiously, causing the rice to fly out of the bowl. Irately, he yelled out the agent's first name (Zoro didn't manage to catch it, for it was a name he'd never heard anyone called before) and Agent Strawhat shot up.

"Agent Prince," Merry started, catching Zoro's attention, "is a fantastic chef; 'The Oni' actually recruited him from a floating restaurant in the middle of the ocean! Perhaps we'll be waited on by him."

Agent Strawhat, dazed and confused, stood up and walked to the door. Agent Prince groaned at the pile of dishes before him; he snapped his fingers a few times and two other chefs strode begrudgingly out of the kitchen, shot the blonde agent a sour look, and began clearing the table.

As this happened, Agent Prince appeared at Merry and Zoro's booth. He bowed respectfully to Merry and with a debonair accent spoke, "Good evening and welcome to the Onigiri Dining Hall. I am Monsieur Prince; how may I assist you?"

Zoro sneered under his breath at the French intonation. He would have made a comment about it, had not _that woman_ entered that moment; he made a disgusted face and turned his attention to the candelabrum in the center of the table.

She removed her reading glasses, setting them atop her signature orange hair. She spoke, and her voice rang throughout the room: through the velvet curtains, past the twinkling diamonds, over the candles, bouncing off the tables and straight into Agent Prince's ear.

In one motion, he clasped his hands together, twisted around, and swooned. "Mellorine!" he called out loudly and lovingly to the other agent.

Merry smiled ruefully, Agent Tangerine sighed slightly with a partly annoyed smirk, and Zoro seemed downright revolted. _'What a flirt,'_ he thought to himself, resting his forehead on the palm of his hand.

At least, he _hoped_ he thought to himself. He adverted his gaze back upward to the chef to find him glaring coldly towards him; Zoro mirrored the cold glare right back. Both were still as the night and neither spoke. Soon, Agent Prince broke the silence.

"Would you care to repeat that, _Marimo_?" he jeered dryly.

Behind him, Zoro noticed Agent Tangerine produced a genuine grin. "How… appropriate," she said, addressing the new epithet for Zoro.

Even Merry chuckled quietly. "It _is_ appropriate, Mr. Roronoa," he chortled, eyeing Zoro's odd hair color.

With a deep scowl, the new agent ran a hand over his head. Granted, his hair _was_ the shockingly vivid color of lime fruits, but what with the bright orange, light blue, and dazzling blonde hair he'd seen here at the agency, he'd figured that it wouldn't be an issue.

"I quite like it, in fact," Merry proclaimed. "It must be your new codename, Mr. Roronoa! Agent Marimo! Oh, it has quite a ring to it."

Zoro would have much rather had a different codename. He wondered how many agents were allowed to choose their own names. Agent Tangerine, he noted, had seated herself at a booth and Agent Prince immediately waited on her, an enormous grin plastered on his face.

"Well, then," stated Merry, glancing at the watch on his wrist, "we best be going. We must hurry if we wish to catch the next ride on the 'subway'."

The two hurried out the Dining Hall, past a few doors, down the walkway, and ended up back at the grand steel door Zoro remembered from before. Merry felt the black pad with his hand, and after four lights lit and four "_bip_"s sounded, the feminine voice called once again, this time saying, "Onigiri Incorporated wishes you a good night, Agent Sixty-Eight Ninety-Four Hundred," and the doors rumbled apart.

He stepped back into the great room of silver and looked to his reflection below him; he now noticed that dusk must have just past, revealing the mysterious night sky with thousands of glittering stars above. The room had lost that silver gleam now: all was dark and quiet and refused to shine until the morning sun cast its brilliance once again on the cold tile.

"You recall," Merry said, stepping to Zoro's side and leading him across the reflecting tile, "that the only way of entering or exiting the agency, _with one single exception_, is flight, Mr. Roro… - My apologies - Agent _Marimo_?"

Zoro, a bit taken aback at the use of his new codename, nodded the affirmative to the retired agent.

"That one exception is the Onigiri Channel System, which is somewhat like a subway system. I don't believe I have to explain much to you; it is how you got here, with the help of another agent, am I correct?"

He nodded again, recalling back to that morning when a mysterious man in black handed him a letter and brought him to a strange place that he found to be a secret subway, leading him here. Merry slid open a passage that led to the subway station; he walked the new agent down the passageway and waited with him for the arrival of the monorail train.

"Well, now, Agent Marimo, all that is left for me to say is this: you have a new life now. The Onigiri Express will lead you to your new home, a stately apartment complex that carries most of your fellow Onigiri Agents. Do not worry, there is already a place prepared for you; you will receive your key upon arrival. The Onigiri Express leaves every three hours – I suggest that you mind the time schedule and try your best to not miss it." Merry's expression became cheerless as he clasped a hand on Zoro's shoulder. "It is time for me to retire permanently from this place; I'll positively sure you'll make a revered secret agent. I expect great things from you, Mr. Roronoa!"

The Onigiri Express steamed into sight. "Good bye, Agent Marimo," Merry pronounced, stepping back with a small salute, "and good luck."

Zoro bowed to him, as he'd seen the other agents do, and quickly boarded the Onigiri Express. A horn bellowed, the mechanical doors slid shut, and Zoro stared out the tinted window of his car, watching the still-saluting Merry until the light of the station was no longer seen. Even through the window and the glare of lights, Zoro had noticed that Merry's eyes were glossed with tears.

Sitting down, Zoro held onto a rail and studied the inside of the car; just like in the agency, everything was silver. Every so often, a light from outside would appear as the train passed, and as the light shown dimly into the car, a faint silver gleam sparked and disappeared.

Suddenly, the train slowed and Zoro noticed the light of the other station; the rides didn't seem to be too long. He stood and waited for the car to stop before he made his way to the door. With a mechanical whir they slid open and Zoro stepped foot into the station. He pushed past the revolving counter and trailed up the long, narrow stairway. He passed one last door and found himself in what appeared to be a hotel lobby.

"Mr. Roronoa?" a voice inquired.

Zoro looked around and noticed a young teenage boy with pink hair dressed in a bell hop uniform. "Yeah, that's me," he affirmed.

The boy straightened and saluted, holding up a brass key. "I'm Koby, an Onigiri Bell Boy. I'll take you to your apartment," he announced.

Zoro followed him through the lobby, noting the lush green plants climbing around the golden pillars and counting about seven large fountains; Merry hadn't lied when he called it a 'stately' complex. They turned a corner, walked down the hall, and then stood before three elevator doors. Koby pressed a button and one of the elevators opened; inside stood a tall teenager with a cleft chin and blonde hair, also sporting a bell hop uniform.

"Good evening, Helmeppo!" Koby chimed to the fellow bell boy.

Helmeppo merely nodded in acknowledgement, and stepped outside to allow the two of them inside. Koby waved to him as the doors shut; Helmeppo presented a bothered smirk that Koby didn't seem to catch. He made idle conversation as they traveled upward.

"So, whaddya think of Onigiri Inc., Mr. Roronoa? What's your codename?" he looked up admiringly at the new agent.

After a pause, Zoro responded, "They named me Agent Marimo." He rolled his eyes mentally at the name.

"That's neat. I hope I can become an agent someday!" Koby chattered excitedly.

'_With that hair, kid, you'd fit in fine,'_ Zoro thought inwardly.

There came a soft "_ding_" and the doors parted. "Right this way, Agent Marimo!" Koby led him through the hallway and stopped seven doors down on the right. "Here it is, Mr. Roronoa, Room 314!" Koby exclaimed happily, twisting the key in the lock.

Zoro stepped inside his new home. Koby handed him the key, wished him a good night, and disappeared into the elevator. He looked around the place and admitted to himself that it was definitely better than his last residence. It was nothing short of a hotel resort suite: suede chairs, leather couches, oak tables, and a welcoming fireplace. Plus a deluxe bathroom with the largest bathtub he'd ever seen, an open kitchen with more pots and pans than he'd ever use, and his bed was made of an intricate pattern of ironwork.

He spotted a sliding door in the bedroom and found that he owned a balcony as well, overlooking a small park next to the apartments. Zoro stepped back inside, locked the balcony door, and drew all the blinds in the room. He noticed a bright red button on the night stand, and pressed it out of curiosity. He shrugged when nothing had happened, and was about to lie down to rest when he there was a knock at the door.

When he answered, he found the pink-haired bell hop grinning from ear to ear exclaiming, "Did someone call room service?!" pushing the pewter cart with a three-course meal into his kitchen. Zoro blinked and watched as Koby marched out the door. One thing was for sure: Onigiri Inc. took good care of their agents.

* * *

_Thank you muchly for reading the first chapter of my story. XD I'm sure you all can tell who are all the agents I've named so far; if not by their codename, then by their mediocre descriptions. My apologies, some parts confused me even. Comments and critique are loved and welcome! I think I may need a Beta Reader, if anyone'd be interested. Just contact me! Anyway. I really... don't... like some of the agent's codenames. XD; For some of them, at least. Others I like a lot, but anyway; I'd love suggestions if you have any! Even for characters I haven't added yet: I'm trying to put as many characters as I can in here. I'll work on Chapter Two and try to get it up soon! Thanks again!_

_-The Pineapple Husky_


	2. Day One

_This took way longer to write than I had hoped. My apologies, semester finals kinda... ate both my brain and my time. XD I hope that this chapter is worth the wait. ;-; Thank you kindly to everybody who reviewed! It really means a lot to this Pineapple Husky. And thank you, Nikki, for all your help and suggestions. I'd still love suggestions from others as well if you have any! By the way, I'm still a bit worried about OOC-ness; please tell me if you think I can fix anything!_

_--_

**_Chapter 2: _**Day One

* * *

"Wake _up_, goddammit!"

Zoro stirred underneath the heavy blanket comforter. With a yawn and a stretch, he blinked his eyes open. The room was dark, as he had left it the night before, save for the light that flooded in through the door frame. A lone figure stood leaning against the frame, shadowing the light; it may only have been a silhouette, but Zoro had recognized whose outline it belonged to in a heartbeat.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here, Agent Tangerine?" he groggily questioned, rolling onto his side and shielding his eyes from the light.

"We agents are on a first-name basis with one another; we rarely call each other by our codenames, unless we're undercover," the woman explained. She paced to Zoro's bedside and held out her palm to him. "My name is Nami."

He glanced at her hand, then to her face, and buried his head underneath a pillow, groaning, "Why are you here so early?"

"Early?" she replied, snatching the pillow and revealing his face. "It's a quarter-to-eleven! The 'Oni Ex' leaves in fifteen minutes, and you already missed the eight o'clock one. Get up, _now_!"

Zoro growled quietly, rubbing his temples. There was silence for a good amount of time. Then a soft piano melody floated down from the room above and hummed into his ears. "Who plays the piano?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow.

Nami's tone softened a bit, but annoyance was still present in her voice. "That's one of the pilots," she answered, "Agent Shades." She cleared her throat and called to the room above, "Johnny! It's ten-five-zero! The train leaves in ten minutes!"

The piano tune slowed and ended, and the pilot shouted back that he understood. A few footsteps sounded and then the two heard nothing more. Nami turned back to Zoro, who lay still in the sheets.

"Don't make me get you outta that thing myself," she warned.

Zoro smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

Nami heaved a heavy sigh and flipped open the cover to a small touchpad near the door. "You asked for it." She pressed three keys and gently flipped the cover back down.

The bed vibrated lightly, then it shook, then it rumbled. Zoro felt like he was caught in the middle of an earthquake. It was a rather unorthodox measure of getting someone out of bed; he was about to sit up and finally step off the mattress when _WHAM!_ The bed sprang upright into a vertical position, flinging Zoro, along with all the sheets, pillows and blankets, off the bed and against the wall. He fell heavily to the carpet with a loud _thump_.

Zoro was outraged. "You didn't have to do THAT!" he hollered, rubbing his forehead. He glanced up and spotted the newly-formed crack in the wall. "Look at what you did!" he hissed, motioning at the break.

"Me? Oh no, _I'm_ not the one with a rock for a skull, _I'm_ not the one who wouldn't get out of bed, and _I'm_ not the one who is horribly late for work!" Nami fumed, pulling open armoire doors and then setting Zoro's uniform on the once-again horizontal bed. "I need you to change. _Quickly_. The train leaves in a few minutes."

With that, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Grumbling, Zoro donned the same black outfit he'd seen so many of the agents dressed in before. He took a gander at his reflection in the mirror on the inside of the armoire door and, for the first time, believed himself to be one of those figures. He also recognized a long black strip still lying on his bed in the reflection. He took it in his hand and looked it over: it was his neck-tie, and now Zoro realized that he'd never worn one before in his life.

He twisted the doorknob and exited the room, tie still in hand. He stood before Nami, and embarrassedly requested that she tie it for him. To his surprise, she didn't sneer or snicker at his lack of knowledge in tying ties, but she calmly smiled a bit as she looped, knotted, pulled, and smoothed the tie; he wasn't quite sure what he thought of this sudden change of disposition. The nice moment was ruined, however, when she reprimanded him, saying, "You'd better learn soon. I'm not doing that for you every damn morning."

After looking him over for a second, then stepping back with a slight sigh, Nami began to search around the apartment; for what, Zoro hadn't a clue. As she lifted various papers from the kitchen counter, she inquired where he'd placed his license.

"License? Like a driving license?" Zoro responded, messing with his tie.

"No, no; your agent license," Nami rejoined. She turned to him with a somewhat concerned expression; it soon, however, disappeared and was instantly replaced with a look of irritation. She marched up to him and slapped his hands away from his tie, straightening it. "Stop playing with your tie and help me look for it."

"Would I even _have_ an agent license?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms. "I mean, today is really only my first day."

"Found it!" she sang. Zoro blinked dazedly as she acquired a small laminated card from underneath a shirt thrown carelessly on the coffee table and held it before his face. It included his old driving license photograph, with his codename, true name, and various bits of information labeled in green ink.

He made ready to ask how he'd gotten the license so quickly when Nami grabbed his wrist and lugged him out the door. "We really need to go… _Now_," she urged.

Still holding onto Zoro's wrist, she led him to the elevator and impatiently pressed the button. Fortunately, there was one available that instantly opened; Nami shoved him rather forcefully inside. Once the doors closed, he asserted, "You don't have to pull me around like that."

She loosened her hold on his wrist, but hadn't released it. The moment the doors parted, she continued to pull: down the hall, through the lobby, past the entrance to the Onigiri Channel, and down the stairwell. "Get your license out; you'll need it to get past the counter," Nami commanded.

Zoro looked past her and noticed the counter had some sort of glowing green shield, restricting people from entering. How odd; he hadn't seen that last night.

Nami fed her license through the slot in the machine next to the counter, and soon after, the license reappeared in the slot and the green shield vanished. Taking her card, she pushed through the counter and walked past the entranceway. "Your turn," she called, before the shield glowed again.

Zoro pulled the card out of his blazer pocket and fed it into the machine as he'd seen Nami do. Seconds later, it popped back out of the slot and the shield disappeared once more. He quickly walked through, only to remember he left his license in the slot; he scrambled and managed to grab it and bring his arm back through just before the shield recurred. He heaved a sigh of relief and tucked it back into his blazer pocket.

"We're very lucky," Nami voiced. Zoro turned around and walked to her side. "The 'Oni Ex' hasn't arrived yet."

Glancing around the station, Zoro counted only six other agents. "Where is everybody?"

"Everybody takes the eight o'clock ride," Nami replied.

"Why didn't you?"

The two of them were suddenly greeted with a voice. "Good morning, Nami-no-Aneki," it spoke.

Nami turned and smiled, "Good morning, Johnny."

Zoro turned as well and studied who the voice belonged to: Agent Shades, or Johnny, as Nami had called him. Still the tall, tan, dark-haired guy with sunglasses he remembered from yesterday. Closer up, he noticed a kanji character tattooed onto his cheek: _'Sora'_ it read, meaning "sky". It was appropriate, Zoro believed, recalling how he was a pilot.

Johnny bowed to them and held out a drink to Nami. "Your usual: a Double Mocha Latte," he proclaimed.

She accepted it gratefully. "You continue to bring me coffee every morning. You're too much of a sweetheart, you know that?" Nami fussed, pinching Johnny's cheek. He merely laughed, rubbing it gingerly and wincing once she let go.

He then noticed Zoro, and straightened up a bit; he bowed to him. "You must be the new agent… Agent Marimo?"

Zoro nodded. "But please, call me Zoro."

Johnny smiled kindly. "My name is Johnny," he said, "or Agent Shades. I'm a pilot, if you haven't guessed." He tapped the symbol on his cheek. "I'm sorry… I didn't know you were coming along with us. I'd have gotten you a cup of coffee…"

Zoro shook his head indifferently. "It's all right," he shrugged.

"You can take mine, if you'd like," Johnny insisted. "It's a Caramel Macchiato."

"No thanks. I'm not a … 'Macchiato' type of guy." Zoro's brow lowered as he wondered, _'What the hell is a "Macchiato"?'_

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

A whistle sounded and the Onigiri Express rolled into the station. The three quickly boarded one of the cars; with a bellow of the horn, they each seated themselves and held onto the silver railing bars.

Zoro coughed and faced the two of them. "So, why don't either of you take the eight ride?"

With a simple shrug, Nami replied, "We work later into the night."

"Everybody else goes to the agency and works from eight in the morning to eight at night – yeah, they're twelve hour shifts, but they're really not bad at all – and the weird ones like us work from eleven to eleven," Johnny explained.

"…Why would you want to work so _late_?"

Nami sipped her coffee. "We just do."

"So that means… If you can work for at least a twelve hour shift… I'm not late for work," Zoro concluded.

"Hm, nice try, but you _are_ late. New recruits must work the eight-to-eight shift and must file a report if they wish to change," Nami stated matter-of-factly.

Zoro scowled; he truly believed he'd found a loophole. Johnny placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, it's only your first day; I'm sure they won't mind too much."

They sat listening to the train speed through the channel for a moment. Then conversation sprouted once more. "So, Nami-no-Aneki," Johnny addressed, "how is Vivi doing?"

"She's doing well; she's been assigned to monitor Kohza, who was recently deported on a mission. You couldn't imagine how excited she was! I swear, I don't think she's taken her eyes off the monitor screen for even a second."

"Kohza? Agent Rebel?" Johnny queried.

"Yes, him; you'd think Vivi's obsessed with that guy," Nami expressed, with the tiniest hint of jealousy in her voice. "Anyway, how's Yosaku doing?"

"I'm sure he's just great. But he and I are kinda… gonna be in a lot of trouble," he replied, ruefully running his hand over the nape of his neck.

"Oh really?" A sly expression crossed Nami's countenance; Zoro noticed this facade made the other highly uncomfortable.

"Well, we sorta crashed… er, another one of the simulation planes. That'd be the fifth one since I became an agent, I believe."

"…How in the name of Onigiri can you crash _simulation_ equipment?!"

"Oh, we manage." He then subjoined, "The guys up in the Oni-Simulator Department aren't going easy on us this time, I'm sure."

The train commenced slowing to a halt in the Onigiri Inc. station. Zoro stood with the two other agents and remained in the car until the doors whirred open. He followed the pair as they sipped at their coffee and strode casually through the subway to the agency. As they pushed open the entrance on the top of the stairwell, Zoro's eyes met the familiar silver shine. The three black figures and their reflections marched over the gleaming tile to the steel door with the touchpad.

The other two agents faced Zoro as the trio stood before the entrance; he read over their countenances: one being calmly content, the other ferociously annoyed.

"Why don't you open the door, Zoro-no-Aniki?" the pilot suggested.

Zoro was a little surprised at the sudden use of a formality towards him, but shrugging it off he decided he preferred his suggestion over whatever Nami was ready to propose with _that_ expression across her visage. He stepped forward and lifted his hand to the pad, pressing his palm to the warm, black square; four small lights illuminated with four soft _beeps_, and the same woman's voice rang out from above.

"Access accepted. Welcome back to Onigiri Incorporated, Agent Marimo."

The doors slid apart, revealing the world of Onigiri Inc. to 'Agent Marimo' once again. Nami instantly shoved him through, saying, "Let's go; I've got to get you to one of the Superior Agents."

Stealing a sip from his Caramel Macchiato, Johnny waved to the two of them. "I'll see you around the agency!" he called. "I've got some explaining to do with the Simulation Department."

Zoro watched over his shoulder as the pilot vanished down a stairwell; a vicious pull on his ear dragged his mind back to Nami. She led him through the sea of black to a tall, red door with the word "Crimson" painted ornately in golden paint. She knocked softly below the letters then turned the knob; once open, she bowed respectively to the man inside and nudged Zoro's shoulder, pushing him inside. Bowing once more, she mouthed, "Good morning," then closed the door.

The man standing before Zoro had a kind smile, bright eyes, and brilliant red hair; his uniform was like the others, however, his was a pleasant burgundy rather than the striking jet black. A large hand was held out to the new agent, and with a smile, he introduced himself, "I am Agent Crimson, but everyone just calls me Shanks. Welcome to Onigiri Incorporated, Mr. Zoro; or, Agent Marimo, as you've been dubbed. Merry's given you the tour of the agency, correct?"

Zoro took his hand, gave it a shake, and then nodded the affirmative.

"Well then! All that's left now is to place you in the proper field of duty."

"Field of duty?"

"Yes, yes; from your build," Shanks started, walking around Zoro and looking him over, "I do believe you'd do best as a 'Field Worker'."

"What is it 'Field Worker' agents do?" Zoro interrogated.

"Essentially, they're the ones who are deported on missions the most. They're our stronger agents; I think you'd fit perfectly. Here, I'll page another Field Worker to come talk with you." Shanks dialed a number phrase into a keypad on the wall near the door.

Moments later, the red door crept open; the strange Agent Strawhat that Zoro remembered from the day before stood in the entranceway. He stepped inside appearing as content as a lark.

Shanks playfully ruffled the agent's hair and placed a straw hat onto his head. "Be a little more careful, Luffy; don't lose this hat."

Agent Strawhat, which Zoro presumed was named "Luffy", grinned so widely that it nearly seemed inhuman how greatly his face had stretched. He touched the brim of the hat and exclaimed, "You found it!"

"Yes, in the Dining Hall. Now then; Luffy, this is Zoro, our newest agent. He's been assigned as a Field Worker. Why don't you two get acquainted with one another?"

With that optimistic smile still across his face, Luffy walked Zoro out the office. The agent, as yesterday, wore casual clothes in place of the uniform. Zoro mused wearing a casual outfit to work and completely disowning the uniform, stupid tie and all.

Grinning and laughing, Luffy started conversation. "Are you the sword guy?"

Recalling back a month ago to an incident at a museum, Zoro nodded, "Yeah, that was me." He considered the fact that the news of said incident was probably spread throughout the entire world.

"Now that was _awesome_. I'm glad Shanks liked my idea of making you an agent here at The Oni!"

Zoro stopped suddenly, astonished, and faced Luffy. "_You_ were the one who got me accepted here?"

Luffy's grin stretched now to his ears as he exclaimed, "Yep!"

"You… you were the one who made me throw my life away to become a secret agent?"

"Well, when you word it like that…" Luffy's face fell for a moment, but it was cheery again after a heartbeat or two. "But come _on_… you get _free food_!"

Whatever kind of persuasive argument "free food" was intended to be, it hadn't swayed Zoro; he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he pondered whether he could even help his going into this new, and forced, way of life. With a sigh, he figured there was nothing to save his old life and he figured that his old life wasn't really worth being saved anyhow.

It was that moment when the "free food" argument came back into play: after being pulled and dragged all the way from his bed to Onigiri Inc., Zoro suddenly realized he was terribly famished, and his stomach voiced this as it emitted a deep, rumbling growl.

"…Well, I guess I am _kinda_ hungry."

Completely ecstatic, Luffy took Zoro by the arm and sprinted to the Dining Hall; screeching over the tile and slamming into walls, Zoro struggled to keep up with him. His shoulder began to burn as it collided against a doorframe; he rubbed it tentatively, and once he glimpsed upward, the rosy warmth of the scarlet Dining Hall met his eyes. Luffy had already chosen a table and rambunctiously called out to the chefs in the kitchen. Zoro joined him and took the menu into his hands, studying the available dishes.

A chef soon emerged from the kitchen; the very one, Zoro recognized, who entitled him "Marimo". He scowled deeply and coughed from the sudden wave of cigarette smoke.

"Luffy!" growled the chef. "You were just here. You can't _still_ be hungry."

"It's not for me, Sanji. It's for the sword guy!" Luffy explained with his never-fading smile.

Zoro studied the chef – Sanji, he now knew – as the tall blonde man eyed him; he held back a snicker as he spotted the abnormally curled tips of his eyebrows.

"Sword guy, huh?" Sanji confronted Zoro. "That was you?" The man cleared his throat and with a sort of newfound respect reached a hand out to him. "I'm Sanji, Agent Prince."

Zoro hesitantly raised his hand to the fellow agent's, but shook it when he read the validity of admiration in his features. The flirt of a cook didn't seem too bad after all.

Zoro named something off the menu and with a nod, Sanji vanished into the kitchen. Upon his return several moments later, he lifted the glistening silver top from the dish and the most pleasant aroma Zoro had ever encountered flushed over the booth, making his mouth water instantly.

Before placing the dish at Zoro's place setting, Sanji shot a quick glance to the other agent drooling on the tablecloth. "This is not for you, Luffy. So don't touch it."

With a deep pout, Luffy promised he wouldn't, and Zoro commenced engulfing the meal the moment the plate touched the cloth. Luffy watched forlornly, holding his chin in his palms. The new agent slowed his consumption and began savoring each mouthful, not seeming to recall a time before when he'd tasted anything so delectable. Before long, there wasn't a morsel left; Zoro placed the fork on the plate and contentedly stretched.

"So, Luffy," Zoro began, scratching his chin. "What exactly do we _do_ all day when we're stuck here in twelve-hour shifts?"

The other agent perked up a bit from his despondent stance, saying, "Eat."

Zoro half-expected this response. "Other than that."

Luffy shrugged. "We just do stuff. There's always something going on so you never get bored—Hey Ace!" Luffy waved vigorously to someone behind Zoro.

With a blink, Zoro turned to view whoever this "Ace" was. He found a tall man with black hair and a freckled face. He, unlike Luffy, wore his black uniform, minus the blazer and white undershirt revealing a well-toned chest and abdomen; he _did_ wear the tie, however.

Luffy waved him to the booth, explaining, "Ace is my big brother. He's a Field Worker too!"

The man seated himself next to Luffy, and in addressing Zoro said, "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. The name's Ace; I'm Agent Blaze. Who might you be?"

"I'm Zoro, or Agent Marimo." He groaned once again internally; he speculated if he'd ever get used to his codename.

"He's the sword guy, Ace! Remember?" Luffy proclaimed enthusiastically, seizing his brother's shoulder and shaking him energetically.

Ace grabbed Luffy's wrists in attempt to calm him down; he laughed and turned to Zoro, "That was you? Looks like we've got someone infamous here at the agency; I wonder how that's gonna work out when you go undercover."

Zoro realized he was probably considered a fugitive after that incident at the museum. "That was me." With a shrug he then subjoined, "If I'm infamous, however, why _am_ I a secret agent? Aren't they supposed to be… secret?"

"Maybe you should go talk to Robin; she's the researcher who checks out all the agents' histories before they're recruited," Ace suggested. "I'm sure you can find her in the Hall of Adversaries."

Zoro stood up and stepped out of the booth. He bowed in thanks to Ace and quickly quitted the Dining Hall. Glancing down both hallways on either side, he impulsively chose one and started down it. Whenever he found another hall branching off, he'd turn down it. He reached the end of one hall and only found two restrooms; he started back down a different hall and found himself facing the monitor room, trying to find his way out without tripping over cords and papers. He went down one last hall and ended up back at the Dining Hall.

Exasperated, Zoro stepped inside and paced over to Ace and Luffy. "Er… _Where_ is the Hall of Adversaries?"

Ace smirked and instructed that it was "Down to the right, take a left, go straight and then take another left."

Zoro bowed once again in thanks and did as he was directed. Fortunately, he found himself between the familiar photographs, and the tall Agent Arms stood before him; she must have been the "Robin" that Ace mentioned. She was inserting information onto a photo using a sort of holographic keyboard and a pen. After a moment or so, she noticed Zoro's presence and faced him with a soft smile.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Roronoa. How may I help you?" she spoke kindly.

Zoro avoided contact with the most azure of eyes he'd ever known. "I was only wondering: how did I become an agent, exactly? Other than Luffy's referral."

Her eyes sparkled gently as her smile softened even more. "Well then. Would you care to tell me the story of the sword incident at the museum?" Robin questioned as she leaned against the wall.

Zoro's expression darkened slightly, but he began, "My best friend used to own a katana, a family heirloom; it had a white scabbard and it was very precious to her. She and I used to be fencing partners, and I never won a single match against her. I learned to use two fencing swords, and even later I learned to use three, but she still would always beat me. She always hoped to use that katana one day even though that style of sword fighting was outdated and forbidden.

"But… but one day she died. I was friendless and partner-less, but worst of all, she never was able to use her katana as she dreamed. Her father offered to give that sword to me, but I refused it. She was his only child, and with nobody to hand that beautiful katana down to, he simply donated it to the National Museum. I went every chance I could to that museum to visit that katana, and each time I did I would stay for hours at a time thinking of her. I did this for many, many years. Sometimes I'd even hide and stay after closing hours; they never caught me, nor did they seem to care.

"About a month ago, while I was alone in the shadow of the katana display after closing time, a strange man came in. While overlooking me while I was in motionless thought, he pulled out a pen of some sort from his front pocket. Using the pen, which I then found to be a laser, he drew a circle in the glass of one of the displays and he reached in through the hole he formed and seized the four katana inside. He placed them all on the benches near the exhibit.

"As he performed this same act on the two other displays, I meanwhile picked at the lock behind the glass that protected the white katana. I managed to unlock it, and I quietly tipped open the case and took the katana into my hands. Once I held it safely out of his sight, I crept discreetly through the shadows to the benches, where I took two other swords; I then hid in the darkest corner of the exhibit room.

"Once he noticed that the white katana was missing and two other swords from the bench gone, he became livid. He shattered the glass case of the last display and glared heatedly into the darkness. For the first time in my life, I slid the three swords out of their scabbards and tossed each of the casings onto the floor, taking two swords into my hands and the white one between my teeth, as I'd learned to hold three fencing swords.

"I was sure to throw the sheaths not far from where I stood, as to make him look in my direction and to make myself known. It was a cocky move, I admit, but it's disrespectful to attack from behind.

"So then I tried out my fencing moves with katana swords. It's quite a different sensation. But the exhibit room was dark; I couldn't see all that well. I couldn't tell when he managed to grab the katana from the bench and unsheathe them, but he fought back and the sound of metal on metal rang throughout the museum.

"Before I knew it, I held three bloody katana and felt a deep slice across my shoulder, with an unconscious figure lying before me. I heard the wailing of sirens coming nearer and nearer, and I was definitely sure they wouldn't accept me in my condition, even if I did stop a thief, so slid the white katana back into its sheath and I escaped through the back entrance," Zoro concluded.

Robin smiled thoughtfully with conscious eyes. "That's quite a story Mr. Roronoa," she murmured melodiously. "And do you know who that man was?"

With a blink, Zoro honestly replied, "I don't."

Robin took a few steps and placed a hand on the wooden frame of a photograph. Zoro inched forward for a better glace, and noted that the glass had a red tint and bold letters wrote the word "Detained" diagonally across the man's visage. Even behind the words, Zoro had recognized the man's features to be the same ones as the thief's.

"This is Das Bones, one of our more resilient adversaries," Robin spoke. "You managed to defeat him nearly effortlessly. We here at The Oni were greatly impressed that you overthrew one of _our_ adversaries, and Luffy was simply fascinated with your use of swords. We decided that we'd recruit you and save you from your fugitive status. As far as the rest of the world knows, you've been sent to jail and executed for what you've done."

"You mean, the whole world thinks I'm dead now?" Zoro queried.

"Essentially, yes, but you needn't worry about that. Secret agents live secret lives, Mr. Roronoa; they're celebrities only to their own kind."

With a nod and a pause, Zoro tilted his head to the left with a somewhat lost expression. "What am I supposed to do all day for twelve hours?"

Robin chuckled slightly and smiled genuinely. "You are a 'Field Worker', correct? You are deported onto missions more often than you'd guess," she explained. "However, since you are new, I suggest that you go to the simulation department and have them set you up for 'virtual mission practices'; they can get you ready for undercover operations and such."

Seeming to know Zoro's dreadful sense of direction, she instructed him where to locate the simulation wing of the agency. With a nod and a bow, Zoro thanked her and followed her guidelines to the simulation department.

He was sure the directions were correct, spotting the word "Simulation" in bold black letters above a steel door. He reached for the handle to enter inside, but quickly withdrew his hand when the handle twisted on its own. The door flew open and two agents sprung out, slamming it shut once they were safely outside.

Zoro blinked at the two figures before him, each heavily panting and resting feebly against the door; he instantly recognized the sunglasses on the one, though they were terribly skewed, and the other he recalled by the idiosyncratic plaid tie: Agents Plaid and Shades.

Smoothing his hair and leveling his glasses, Johnny peered upward and smirked timidly. "We meet again, Zoro! And such an awful state I must be in," he fretted, standing upright and tugging at his sleeves.

Puzzled, Agent Plaid came to his feet and straightened his tie. "You know him?" he inquired the other pilot, indicating Zoro.

"We met earlier this morning," Johnny clarified.

The other agent faced Zoro, and after a moment, offered a smile and his hand. "My name's Yosaku; codename: Agent Plaid," he said.

Zoro took his hand and gave it a hearty shake; at least these two were kind, he supposed, considering the aggressive Nami and the eccentric Luffy. "I'm Zoro, Agent Marimo," he spoke, once again cringing internally; perhaps someday he could be awarded with a different codename.

"So, Aniki," Johnny confronted Zoro, who still appeared unused to the formality, "what're you in the simulation wing for?"

"I was sent here to get set up for a 'virtual mission' thing. Y'know, to practice for real missions, I guess," Zoro explained, reaching for the silver door handle; the two fellow agents simultaneously grabbed his wrist.

"Trust me, you don't want to go in there," Yosaku advised.

"They're kinda… not in a good mood. Let's put it that way."

"That's putting it rather mildly, Johnny."

Before Zoro could object, they turned him around and led him away from the door. "Hey listen," Yosaku offered. "Why don't we go the lounge?" He then subjoined underneath his breath, "I could use a drink."

Zoro searched his memory and found a deserted lounge with oddly-shaped yellow chairs from his tour with Merry. Grimacing slightly, he commented aloud how he despised the color.

"Yellow…? Oh, we're not going to _that_ lounge," Yosaku replied with a snicker.

"We're going to the Cosmos," Johnny explained. "It's like the secret hideout of Onigiri Inc."

As long as there was an absence of canary-colored chairs, Zoro decided he'd be satisfied. The two agents escorted him through hallways, past doors, and down a few stairwells. At long last, the three found themselves in front of a skinny black door.

Yosaku and Johnny stepped back and bowed to Zoro, chorusing, "After you!" and motioning to the door. Zoro turned the handle and allowed the door to swing open.

His eyes were greeted with the sight of bitty twinkling lights against everything navy, resembling deep space. The navy tablecloths entwined with sparkling lights, the silver ironwork of the tables and chairs, and the floating sensation of elated weightlessness were all present. On the far end resided a stage with ebony curtains tangled with more of the glittering lights; a live band consisting of Onigiri Agents performed on the stage, and Zoro noticed in the lack of stage lights above, each instrument was illuminated from the inside, presenting an luminous glow and acting as the solitary light source for the performers. The billiard tables in the back sported the same glowing phenomenon, as did the cocktail bar.

Cocktail bar… Its presence cast a grin across Zoro's face. After receiving nods from the pilots, he stepped into the lounge and made a beeline for the bar. He requested a mug of rum, however, he received a drink in a curved glass with an umbrella and a fruit slice; Yosaku appeared at his side and accepted a similar beverage.

"This is a great place to unwind," he told Zoro as he produced a cigarette from his blazer pocket and ignited it with a lighter. "Not to mention hide."

Zoro nodded and glanced around. He regarded Agents Sniper and X cheer Agent Super on as he gulped down bottles of soda, chanting, "Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" followed by a chorus of jubilant exclamations. Once finished with this, Agent Sniper joined them at the bar and invited the two of them to a game of billiards. Accepting the invitation with a nod, Yosaku exhaled a flurry of smoke and acquired a pool cue from the wall; Zoro simply stared at the other agent.

After a moment, Agent Sniper laughed ruefully. Addressing Zoro with an outstretched hand, he introduced himself, "Hey, I'm Usopp, Agent Sniper. Are you that new agent? Agent Marimo, the recruit from the museum episode?"

As this was voiced, a hush silenced the entire lounge, even the performers stood wordlessly upon the stage; each black figure turned and faced the pair of them. Zoro stirred uncomfortably and took a swig from his drink, which he found tasted much sweeter than rum. Coughing slightly, he nodded affirmatively to Usopp. "Yeah, I'm Agent Marimo. Call me Zoro," he announced, giving his hand a shake.

The lounge erupted with murmurs; this hadn't eased Zoro in the least. In attempt to relieve the attention on Zoro, Yosaku handed him a pool cue as Usopp commenced a game of billiards; he also held one to Johnny, but he declined the offer, stating he simply wished to watch. The two exchanged glances for a moment, then Yosaku joined Zoro and Usopp at the table.

As Zoro leaned over to strike the white ball, he interrogated the other two agents, "Do you guys spend all of your time here in the lounge?" He still wanted to know what he'd be doing stuck in the agency for twelve whole hours.

"We do spend a good amount of time in here and in the dining hall, but I usually work on the gadgets most of the day," Usopp said with a shrug.

"I usually spend most of the day working in the simulation planes with the other pilots; Johnny and I seem to be awfully destructive with those things lately… Anyway, Usopp here likes running around with this camcorder he made about a year ago," Yosaku added.

"I would go around and ask all the other agents stupid questions and make fake interviews and documentaries and such. I titled one series of mine 'Tales of the Great Agent Usopp'! It was loads of fun, especially when they all were pissed off enough to want to break the camera. But then the camcorder _did_ break one day."

"Yes, yes, it was quite the tragic day."

"Then what did you do?" Zoro asked, glancing up from the table and chalking the tip of the cue.

"Easy. I just tore one of the security cameras off the wall and ran around doing the same old stuff."

"You used a _security_ camera?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"The guards loved it; I know they did, even though they now forbid me from making 'such an abomination as a camcorder' again. Little do they know," Usopp snickered, "I already have three or four made."

The three continued through a few more games and then retired to the comfortable sofas behind the clusters of tables. Yosaku also explained to Zoro that "About seventy-five percent of us agents have some sort of musical talent. Because of this, many of us act as musicians when undercover."

As Zoro was ready to ask if he'd known how to play an instrument, Yosaku invited Johnny to play a tune with him on the lounge's stage; the other pilot accepted and the two of them walked to the front of the lounge and vanished behind the curtains. They reappeared soon after, pushing in a glowing piano and carrying in a gleaming bass.

The two pilots began a mellow, jazzy duet, and Zoro sunk deeper into the sofa cushion, lulled into a long nap by the gentle melody. Sleep was nice. _Quite_ nice, he decided.

At least Zoro finally found how _he_ could spend the whole twelve hours of the work day.

_

* * *

And that's chapter two! XD I hope I made sense with many of the issues I had attempted to explain -- especially Zoro's story about Kuina. D: AUs are not really easy to write in the whole aspect of having to change certain things. On that subject! Before I get buried in questions: In the original One Piece series, the tattoo on Johnny's cheek says "Sea". XD; I felt it was no longer appropriate since he's become a pilot in this, so I changed it to "Sky". I hope I have the right to do this since it's AU, seeing how I may have to change a bunch of other things too. Now, before I ramble on too much... Thank you for reading, and comments, critiques, and suggestions are always loved and welcome! I'd still like a bit of help with this story if anybody's interested. Chapter Three is currently in progress, I'll hopefully have it finished faster than this chapter!_

_-The Pineapple Husky_


	3. Do You Copy?

_Okay, okay. You all have every right to pelt me repeatedly with whatever objects you choose. ;-; My absolute _deepest_ apologies. Priorities got in the way and I kinda kept forgetting to work on Marimo, and then I got a computer virus, and then I lost it and had to rewrite it... But enough excuses:D Dear Nikki and Dear Dragonzair inspired me and motivated me to finish the chapter, so much love to them and also much love to everyone who reviewed! Here's Chapter Three!_

_By the way, I should probably include another, different disclaimer here:_

Disclaimer: Twix, although she is an original character, is not _my_ original character. She belongs to Dearest Nikki who was so kind to let me put her in my story. Also, I did not write any song lyrics I make reference to in any point of the story. Okay? Okay.

_Here we go!_

_--_

**_Chapter 3:_** Do You Copy?

* * *

"_Come in, Agent Marimo! Agent Tangerine here; do you copy_?" 

Zoro instantly decided that he wasn't enjoying himself. The new completely black outfit that was presented to him was terribly skintight up top and terribly heavy from the waist down. He tugged the neckline with his index finger which then slipped and snapped promptly back against his clavicle, bestowing a sharp sting upon it.

A utility belt was also given to him: the culprit that caused the extreme weight upon his lower half, it consisted of numerous gadgets which Zoro was informed may be of great use during a mission. These ranged from anything as small as a key that morphed to the shape of any lock to as large as the hefty Onigiri Firearm, which fired anything from bullets to lasers to fruit (Zoro wasn't sure if Usopp was teasing with that last one or if he was truthful – he opted for the former).

He also received a pair of glasses for the mission, though they more resembled ski goggles with the obnoxious yellow-tinted lenses that were making Zoro's head spin something fierce. They were fitted around his head with an elastic strip, and a series of number codes raced across the left lens while the right sported a visual of the live transmission between Zoro and a certain orange-haired monitor.

"Yeah, I copy, Nami," he replied, absently scratching at his shirt collar.

An exasperated sigh sounded in the earpiece that was lodged deeply into his ear canal. "_You're _supposed_ to say 'affirmative'. And you're supposed to use codenames here_!"

Zoro flicked at the little microphone protruding from the earpiece and responded, "You said agents were on a first name basis with one another."

"_Not in this situation. Now, say it right_!"

"…Affirmative, Agent Tangerine."

"_Good. Now, this is a fairly simple mission. You go in the building, get the blueprints, and go out of the building. Be careful of the watchmen._"

Zoro nodded and stepped towards the front entrance of the building. He was instantly stopped when his shoulder was roughly seized from behind.

"Idiot!" hissed the man who grabbed him. "Rule number one about being a secret agent is that you _never_ enter through the front door."

"Don't you ever watch any movies?" sneered the other voice.

"_Great! You've found your partners for this mission,_" Nami stated.

Zoro's eyebrow twitched angrily. "…_You're_ my partner agents?" He turned and glared at the two other agents: Agent Prince and Agent Sniper. Angrily, he bat Sanji's hand off his shoulder and adjusted his glasses.

"Come on, come on; let's get this thing over with," moaned Sanji. "The lunch hour rush starts in twenty minutes and I'm positive Patty and Carne will raze the kitchen to the ground if I'm not there."

Zoro stood still for a moment, scrutinizing the pair once more and finally decided it best to move on. The sky, black as could be, held neither moon nor stars above them and the darkness was to their advantage. The dim, flickering yellow street lamps illuminated only the pavement below them, and Zoro could roughly make out the faces of the two men standing guard before the building he and his team were to infiltrate. They stood motionlessly on the opposing side of the street and held what appeared to be rifles in their left hands.

"There are two ways we could do this: one, we get on top of this building and swing over there, or two, we get rid of the guards and cross the street and then get up there," Sanji suggested.

"Option two is too risky. Let's swing up there," Usopp said, scratching at his shirt collar.

"Right, let's do-" Sanji cut himself off, staring at the front of the opposing building with a mixture of shock and fury in his expression. "_OI!_" he hissed quietly. "_What the hell do you think you're doing?!_"

Zoro, who held the guards by the scruff of their necks in either hand, both beat up considerably and unconscious, promptly dropped them on the pavement and beckoned the other two agents to come to the building front.

"How did he…?"

"Tha-that idiot! He could've… _should've_ been killed!"

"You gotta admit… He's pretty good."

"Shut up, Sniper! Let's just get over there."

The two, careful to stay within the shadows of the street, prowled across to the new agent. They seized his shoulder and yanked him out from under the pool of light and hid in the darkness of the nearest alley. Sanji was the first to speak, even as Zoro opened his own mouth.

"A, that was incredibly stupid and way too dangerous, and B, you need to do something about your hair." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Green is extremely prominent and is also dicey."

As he said this, Zoro noticed that both the agents had their hair hidden underneath a sort of cap (though Sanji's allowed hair to fall over his eye. This fact made Zoro silently groan with exasperation). Usopp fumbled with something in the left pocket of his cargo pants. He pulled out a black square of cloth and handed it to Zoro. "Just use this," he whispered, holding it out to the agent-in-training. "It'll at least cover it."

Zoro took the cloth in his hands and tied it around his head. The only hair left visible was that from the back of his neck and his sideburns.

"Better," sighed Sanji. "Now let's get up there." He motioned to the roof of the building.

The two experienced agents removed a contraption from their belts. Catching Zoro's apparently blank expression, Usopp offered a nervous smile, and explained, "You want the…" He looked at the instrument. "…The claw-looking thing. It should be on your left hip—about the same size as a revolver."

He felt for the gun-like object on his left side, and ran his hand over something that matched the description; he removed it and looked it over. A revolver was exactly what it appeared to be, only three metal claws protruded from the end.

"It's very simple," Usopp continued, as Sanji had already fired the claw at the edge of the roof. "You just point a little bit above the edge of the top of the building, and pull the trigger. The claw will shoot to wherever you're pointing, obviously. The line connecting the claw to the gun will begin to retract once it reaches full length. It will pull harder and faster if and when the claws catch on something—the edge of the roof, in this case."

With a quiet _pop_, Usopp pulled the trigger of his gun and the claws whooshed up to the roof. He held it above his head and braced himself; the claw caught and Usopp traveled upward.

"Don't worry about anything breaking; the line and the claws are both very strong and well-enforced," he added as he zoomed out of sight.

Examining the instrument one last time, Zoro held it high above him and aimed a small distance above the edge of the building. He pulled on the trigger and the gun emitted a small _pop_ as Usopp's had, and within seconds, he too was zooming up to the roof. He must've done something wrong, however, as twice he collided into the brick before flying up over the building and then landing hard on his back on the solid roof.

"It just takes practice, is all," Usopp reassured him as Zoro grumbled and rubbed the back of his head. "By the way, if the claw _doesn't_ catch… Let go of the gun and step aside." He pointed to a few scars on his hand. "Hurts like a sonova-"

"Moving on!" Sanji called, motioning to an opening.

They joined the blonde agent and peered through the skylights. The inside of the building was pitch-black and it was impossible to make out anything. Zoro looked to the other agents and noted that they were turning a dial on their glasses. Following their lead, he turned the dial, but had little success; turning it one way made the numbers speed faster across the lens, turning it the other way turned everything red in color, and turning it back stopped every effect of the glasses and blinded Zoro, now unable to see anything whatsoever.

Within a few seconds, the glasses re-illuminated, with the help of a frustrated Sanji, and the glasses acted as night-vision goggles. He made out a room containing a wooden bureau and several file-cabinets.

"We've got a lot of searching to do," Sanji murmured as he pulled a pen from his cargo pocket. Zoro watched as he drew a circle in the glass and slipped a glove onto his other hand. He pressed his hand to the glass, and it had begun to melt where the pen had touched it. Approximately a minute later, the glass had melted all the way through and Sanji lifted his hand, the circle of glass suctioned to it, leaving a hole for them to enter through.

"Since this is a 'Class G' mission," Sanji pronounced, discarding the glass carefully and standing upright, "we shouldn't have to worry about those damn lasers."

Usopp draped a long rope down into the room and hooked the end of it on the edge of the skylight; he tugged it hard, assuring himself that it was secure. He and Sanji slid down first, followed by an unhappy Zoro, who also slid down with no problem.

"Spread and search boys," Sanji commanded, as he disconnected the security camera. "And don't leave a single _sheet_ of paper out of place, Marimo."

"What do these blueprint things even look like?" Zoro queried with his arms crossed.

Sanji twisted various knobs on his wristwatch (Zoro noticed he lacked such device; Usopp, on the other hand, must've had four or five watches on either of his wrists) and a small holographic image floated above its face. "It appears that the letters 'A x N' are printed on the front of the file. The folder is red and the papers inside are navy."

With a twist or two more, the image disappeared and the three began to carefully and quietly rummage through the file cabinets. After searching three whole cabinets with absolutely no luck, Zoro decided to check the bureau. Tugging on the center drawer and realizing it was locked, he remembered the special key and pulled it from the buckle of the belt. He shoved it in the lock and felt it morph between his fingers; he twisted it and the drawer unlocked, and pulling it open he found the file.

'_Now that was_ too_ easy,_' Zoro thought to himself as he brushed a few papers off the top of the file and examined it. He secretly wondered if the other two purposely searched in other places to leave him to find it himself.

He brought the folder's finding to the attention of the other two agents. He took it into his hands, but as he tried to inspect it further, something invisible caught it and disallowed it to move further. Zoro gave the file a sharp pull and something snapped, causing sirens to blare and red lights to flash.

"…Shit."

Sanji and Usopp, though both seemed to half-expect this event would occur, weren't expecting a horde of security robots to appear. Both instantly disregarded the order of neatness and files and papers went flying through the air in their surprise.

"Robots?! What the-!! We've never had to deal with robots before!" Usopp shrieked.

Sanji grunted and snatched the file from Zoro's hands, stuffing it up his own shirt. "…You sure that's the best place to put that?" Zoro questioned, raising an eyebrow, unconcerned about the robots.

"Well, it's not going anywhere," Sanji replied, tugging at his tight shirt to cover the file; though, when it finally had been covered, it was unmistakable where it was hidden. The two began to figure that this was the least of their problems, as the robots clamped onto Usopp's arms and held him hostage in the corner of the room.

The captive cried to the other agents to do something as the two metal guards crashed up through the roof in a burst of flames and smoke. Once they finished coughing and the smoke had cleared somewhat, Zoro and Sanji climbed up the rope they had left and searched left and right for their captured partner. Zoro pointed out two gleaming figures and a smaller, struggling figure on the top of a few buildings down to Sanji, as the blonde pointed out that the robots were pretty much claiming the city for their own.

Tearing out the faded bricks from once-sturdy buildings, smashing the shining glass of windows, bending the cool metal of the street lamp posts, and setting anything and everything flammable ablaze, the robots rampaged up and down the streets of the town.

Zoro couldn't help but to say "What the hell?" aloud.

Sanji scoffed, "I hear ya. This is a pretty screwed up mission." He sighed, producing a cigarette from his pant's pocket and lighting it with the flames flickering from a nearby potted plant. "I suppose we should at least rescue Usopp."

"Yeah. Probably should."

The two agents used their contraptions to swing over to the building their partner was captive on; now, with their feet flat on the roof, they took notice of the two metal personages, both sporting several dents and dings and lying smoking before them. Usopp, breathing heavily and carrying what appeared to be a giant sledge hammer over his right shoulder, fell onto his knees in exhaustion.

"Wow. God job, Sniper," Sanji praised, somewhat stunned. As this was spoken, another pack of robots surrounded them. Sanji and Zoro both took fighting stances, facing the metal figures with looks of solid determination. However, in their carelessness, two robots collided with one another and created a massive explosion, sending the three agents and the rest of the pack flying.

The airborne robots also exploded into flames as they crashed into pavement, brick, glass, and metal. Zoro and his two partner agents slammed heavily onto the asphalt street, lied there for a moment in pain, and slowly brought themselves onto their feet. Once they were finally breathing steadily and standing on two feet with more ease, they were encircled by the robots once again.

Usopp, positively terrified, wailed and clung himself to a telephone pole. Sanji exhaled a flurry of smoke and tossed his cigarette on the asphalt, stomping out the ashes; he unhitched the Onigiri Firearm from his belt and commenced firing at the metallic figures.

As Zoro reached for his own firearm, he realized he was lacking it; he figured it must've gotten unhitched when he and the others were blasted off the roof. Since it was now nowhere in sight, he yelled helplessly to no one in particular as one solitary robot advanced towards him, "What am I supposed to do now?!"

"Beat it!" was his reply from an Usopp who tried fending off a trio of robots with his hammer, his legs shaking as they struggled keeping wrapped around the pole. "Just beat it!!"

Wrestling with his thoughts, Zoro frantically searched for some blunt instruments that could be of use. His eyes finally caught such objects, and he sprinted away from the robot and tried pulling two street-side parking signs from the concrete. In a moment of desperation, he pulled a random sharp object off his belt and slashed at the poles, astonished at how easily they cut through the metal. Examining the blade, he found it to be a rather fancy machete, and in a split-second, he placed the handle of the object in between his teeth and took the two posts in either hand and swung them at the robot.

The metal figure was no match for the parking-sign posts, and was easily smashed with only a couple of hits. Zoro swung the posts in every direction, striking numerous robots and destroying them. However, in his mindless clubbing of the robots, Zoro unintentionally whacked Sanji in the back of the head, knocking him out-cold. Before he could realize his mistake, he found himself standing in the center of a completely white room, with a machete in his mouth and two disappearing green grids of the street signs in his hands.

Usopp dropped hard onto the ground as the telephone pole he had clutched vanished as well, and he stared dumbfounded at the unconscious Agent Prince. "Holy…"

"_Christ, Zoro! What the hell were you thinking_?!"

The voice exploded from both his ear piece and from the open window above them. Nami growled dangerously, resting her forehead on her palm and listlessly shaking her head. The blue-haired Agent Princess was seated at her side, wearing an expression of both confusion and amazement. She gently removed her headphones and sighed, "We should probably get Sanji-kun to the medical wing, Nami."

Exhaling deeply, Nami nodded. "Right. And Zoro," she added darkly, "you need to come too."

Obeying orders with a scowl, Zoro grasped the back of Sanji's shirt and hoisted him over his left shoulder. The file had slipped out from underneath his top as he did this, and Zoro bent down to retrieve it. Carrying both the file and the comatose agent, he stepped towards the exit followed closely by Usopp. He met the female at the other side of the door, and she instantly greeted him by pulling his glasses by the nosepiece away from his face and releasing them to snap back with a sharp wave of pain.

"Be more mindful of your fellow agents," she scolded as Zoro yelled in hurt.

She locked her elbow with the arm that wasn't supporting Sanji and led him with a quick pace to the medical wing. Down every other hallway, she made a left turn, passing by several other agents who shot them curious glances. One such agent was Agent Arms; Zoro avoided her striking blue eyes and quickened his own pace to hurry past.

Usopp still was in close pursuit, bearing an abnormally large grin on his face. The reason as to why he was needed in the medical wing as well was unknown to Zoro, but he had other things to worry about. Such as Nami's death grip on his elbow; she would only clench tighter should he try to slip his arm out from under her arm.

One last turn and the small group was situated near the entrance to the agency hospital. Nami began to push through the swinging doors when Usopp, in his excitement, shoved the door open with such force that she nearly slipped onto the ground. Recovering and muttering something under her breath, she held the door open and shoved Zoro and Sanji through.

Chatting eagerly with the doctor behind the reception desk was a highly enthused Usopp; he was speaking with a young lady he recalled to be Agent Riche. Her visage was bright and intent, hanging onto whatever the long-nosed agent would say, and her warm smile suggested she enjoyed his company greatly.

Their conversation was interrupted by a slowly-losing-her-nerve Nami. "Please, excuse us, Miss Kaya," she addressed Agent Riche kindly. "Sanji requires medical attention; I fear he may have a concussion."

Kaya suddenly transitioned from bright, content calmness to concerned anxiousness. "Oh, my, what happened?"

Nami heaved a sigh, running a hand through her orange hair. "Well he… took a street sign to the back of the head. I'm thinking it hit pretty hard too."

Zoro felt a terribly icy glare shot in his direction from the female agent and he offered a guilty expression to Kaya. "It's not like I did it on purpose," he muttered.

"Oh, I see," responded the doctor. She nodded. "Well, we'll get him treated immediately."

Kaya tapped on a golden button atop the desk and two men clad in white appeared from behind the shining silver swinging doors leading to the Emergency Room, carrying a stretcher between them. They stopped before the green-haired agent, and Zoro lifted the unconscious chef from his shoulder and plopped him onto the stretcher. The pair nodded and thanks and, in a flash, they disappeared into the ER.

Thinking his work was finished, Zoro turned and started for the exit of the hospital wing; Nami, however, caught his shoulder before he could take another step and twisted him around to face Kaya.

The petit agent was standing before him, holding a small note-card in her hands. She looked up to his face and studied his appearance before timidly asking, "Pardon, but are you Agent Marimo?" She held the note-card out to Zoro, and in examining it, he found it had a poorly drawn portrait of himself with his name written in scattered handwriting. Of course, he only assumed the drawing was of him, because the hair was colored in green – it would otherwise have born no resemblance.

"Luffy gave that to me. It's to remind me that you need to have your obligatory check-up before you can truly be considered an agent," she explained.

Now realizing the black cloth was still tied over his head, Zoro quickly removed it and stuffed it in his pocket. This must have assured the small Kaya that Agent Marimo _was_ the man standing before her, as she relaxed her shoulders and smiled softly.

"Okay then, Mr. Marimo, if you would please come with me," she gently took his wrist and pulled him towards another set of the silver swinging doors. Nami smirked and bowed to Kaya, thanking her, and slipped out of the medical wing. Kaya also flashed a smile and a slight blush to Usopp as she passed by, waving to him; he returned the grin and followed Nami out of the hospital.

The two marched down a long hall with small check-up rooms on either side; this section must have been the clinic, Zoro pondered. Kaya finally led him into a particular room at the very end of the hallway and seated him atop the examining table. She bowed, requesting his patience, as she pulled a pager out of a pocket in her gown.

She held the pager to her mouth and pressed a button on the side with her thumb. "This is Agent Riche, located in Section F, requiring the assistance of Agent X in room…" She released the button and opened the door to check the number printed on the front. "Room Seven Eighty-One, please. Agent X to room Seven Eighty-One in Section F."

Kaya grinned kindly to Zoro as he eyed the black pager in her hand. "You always get neat things when you're a secret agent. This pager doubles as a walkie-talkie that can access any other agent possessing one in the entire agency. They're quite handy," she said with a nod, making small conversation as they waited for the other agent to appear.

"Will I get something like that?" queried Zoro, still glancing at the pager every so often.

"Oh, I'm sure! Plus a lot of other neat things too. You'll get everything once you're up-to-date with all your required vaccinations and such."

Zoro mentally shivered at the word "vaccination" as the door quietly opened and revealed a small, brown, furry agent. The reindeer, Agent X, he remembered; he tried making the thought of the oddity of a reindeer as a doctor escape his mind.

"Good afternoon," he pronounced, regarding his clip-board, "Agent Riche, Agent Marimo." He beamed politely to the other two agents.

"Good afternoon, Chopper," Kaya spoke. "I'll start with the examination if you would ready the vaccinations."

The reindeer nodded and seated himself at a small table situated in the far corner of the room, arranging several tubes and beakers and bottles of concoctions of irregular colors. Zoro turned his face away from the reindeer at the sight of the numerous syringes he pulled out of a nearby drawer.

Kaya quickly covered the basics of a clinic check-up: a short temperature check; a quick blood pressure check; a listen to the beat of the heart and the breathing of the lungs; a fast check of the throat, reflexes, pulse, and flexibility. Once she had finished, she gave Zoro a sad, sympathetic smile.

"What I'm about to do, Mr. Marimo… Let's just say that it's going to sting… a lot… okay?"

Chopper handed to the petit doctor a large, sixteen gauge needle syringe, filled with a swirling, glowing violet liquid. Zoro was sure that the substance could illuminate the entire room were the lights out, considering how brightly it gleamed. He must have made an ill visage, as Kaya raised her hands up reassuringly.

"Oh, please, don't worry! Even though the vaccine is purple and glowing, it's extremely important that every agent has this vaccination. It makes you immune to almost every common illness – health is a virtue, and we can't afford to even have a head-cold." Zoro tensed his muscles as she patted his arm with a sanitizing cloth and held the syringe to his skin. "This will sting, Mr. Marimo, but in a few deep breaths it will all be over," she cooed softly, puncturing the skin.

He felt the sting throughout his entire body rather than in his arm alone, and he went completely numb. He felt prickles in various places of his body, then his blood began to burn in his veins; just when he believed he would melt from the heat, a wave of coolness chilled his blood and brought relief. Biting his lip, he exhaled deeply as the needle was removed.

Kaya smiled genuinely and placed a band-aid that matched Zoro's hair over the puncture wound. "There! All done!" she chimed. "That's the only vaccination you need, but," – she seated him back on the table when he began to rise – "we're not finished yet."

Chopper was seated at his other side, holding what appeared to be a nail gun in his hooves. Zoro's eyes widened considerably at the sight of the instrument.

"This thing is going to insert a small device into your left arm – _never _remove the device under any condition," Chopper clarified. "What it will do is it will regulate vital functions should a problem occur and the body can't do it naturally, such as jump-starting the heart if it's been stopped, adjusting body temperature, et cetera. You'd be surprised with what some enemies do to try to kill agents; this will stop a lot of their attempts from carrying through."

Kaya held up an undersized poster to Zoro as the reindeer explained; it had several different shapes printed on it with numbers beside them, but he held no clue as to what they were for. She simply asked which number he liked best on the poster, but before he could study the chart and pick a number, an icy metal point was pressed to his arm.

_Ker-klitch!_

An instant pain burned itself into Zoro's left arm and he nearly leaped off the table in his shock. Once again, his body grew numb, and then his blood boiled with heat followed by an instant relief of the flowing chill. He clutched the sight of the insertion with his right hand and hissed between clenched teeth, "_Sonovabitch_!"

Kaya blinked. "…Six? Number six?" She flipped over the poster and regarded it for several sections. "Hmm, we don't have many agents choose that model often."

She laid the poster on the small work table and rummaged through a small cabinet, pulling out three glittering, golden objects from a box. She also took another instrument from the cabinet as well, this particular contraption resembling a stapler. Before leaving the work station, she slipped the end of one of the gold objects into a device; she pressed a few buttons, and within a few seconds, the miniscule machine beeped and spit the object back out into Kaya's hand. In a few slow strides, she was standing at Zoro's left, grinning apprehensively.

"This is the last thing that will hurt, I promise," she assured, massaging Zoro's ear lobe with another sanitary cloth. "Just get through this, and you'll be officially considered an Onigiri Agent."

"Wait a minute," Zoro interrupted. "Are you-?"

"Piercing your ears?"

_Kling! Kling! Kling!_

"Yes. You have earrings to take care of now." Kaya pulled a mirror out from a nearby drawer and held it before Zoro's face. Once he removed the pained expression from his visage, he examined the three golden pieces (model number six, apparently) that dangled from his ear and would jingle together whenever he moved his head.

"Now," began Kaya, "the topmost earring acts like an antenna; it will be how our radio frequencies can reach you no matter where you are and is used with the communication headsets. The middle one is your tracking device; it is how Onigiri will find your location when you are away from the agency. And lastly, the bottom earring is your identification; it works in compliance with the tracking device, giving a name to the agent being tracked. It can also be used to get you into the agency, in some places.

"Well, you are finished with your medical examination!" Kaya exclaimed joyfully, gently patting his shoulder.

Chopper tore a sheet of paper off of his clip-board and handed it to Zoro. "Keep that somewhere safe," he urged. "That paper shows that you've been vaccinated, regulated, and pierced, and that you're completely healthy."

Zoro folded the sheet and tucked it deep in his pocket. He thanked the two doctors, ruefully rubbing his ear, and was guided to the exit of the medical wing by Kaya. He returned a slight wave in good-bye to the pretty and pale doctor, and pushed through the swinging pewter doors while massaging his sore arm.

At the other side, he met a beaming Usopp, bearing a rather large grin and beckoning Zoro to follow him down the hallway. "We should probably change out of mission clothes and into something a little more comfortable."

In complete agreement, as his tight shirt was verging on the line between highly uncomfortable and restricting blood flow, Zoro gave a small nod and kept close behind Usopp as they twisted through the never-ending passages and pushed through the heavy steel doors.

Eventually, Usopp managed to find the men's locker room (he himself had gotten the pair of them lost twice, which made Zoro slightly less concerned with his lack of directional sense) and led the green-haired agent down the stairwell. Meandering through the infinite aisles of lockers with each row carrying a heavy stench of sweat, Zoro pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and searched for the locker number that matched the one on the sheet.

After searching for several minutes at an endless amount of metallic golden-painted lockers, he at long last found his own – locker number 781 – a few lockers away from Usopp's. Grumbling, he twisted the combination into the lock and pulled the locker door open.

Eager to rid himself of his mission clothing, he swiftly removed his glasses, belt, boots and rid himself of the unpleasantly tight shirt and excessively baggy cargo pants and replaced them with the standard dress for the agency. Facing away from Usopp, he attempted tying his neck-tie on his own, a self-conscious frown present on his mouth. He mimicked whatever Nami had done early that morning and the morning before, and once he'd finished, he felt somewhat satisfied and decided it was well enough.

Usopp, however, snickered at his failed attempt and undid and retied it for him, carefully saying aloud the proper way to go about it; Zoro was too ashamed to have him tie it for him to listen.

Once finished with the lesson, the long-nosed agent suggested that they head to the dining hall, as the lunch hour was now nearing to a close. The two hurried through the agency in hopes to reach the cafeteria in time to order. In what seemed to be no time at all, Zoro's eyes once again met the familiar splendor of scarlet velvet and diamonds that was the Onigiri Dining Hall.

In the center was placed a grand banquet table, and countless familiar faces were seated at it, all laughing, teasing, and conversing with one another. It was like a reunion of every agent that Zoro had already met, with a few new figures seated amongst them as well.

Usopp tugged on Zoro's sleeve and pulled him over to the table and stood proudly before the group, almost as if he were the fisherman who caught the largest fish in the entire lake. "Everyone," he announced, "this is Roronoa Zoro, Agent Marimo."

A majority of the group gave knowing smiles and nods, while the others greeted him with a small grin and a slight bow. The new agent studied each agent, recounting names with their faces, and seated himself in the empty place beside the restless Agent Strawhat.

"There's no way you could forget Luffy here," said Nami, appearing considerably the happiest Zoro had ever seen her to be. "You remember me, I hope." She raised an eyebrow to him with a slight grin, and he returned a small smirk.

A disgruntled Sanji with an ice pack tied to the back of his head gnawed on the end of his cigarette; he even offered a tiny smile. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits. "It'd be a shame if you forgot who you managed to knock-out with a street-sign."

"Oh, Sanji-kun," laughed the soft voice belonging to the blue-haired agent beside him, "he didn't do it intentionally." Vivi smiled kindly to Zoro, with her hand resting gently atop another that belonged to an unknown man at her other side. Blonde with colored glasses and a scar running down the side of his face near his eye, he nodded to Zoro with acknowledgement.

"My name is Kohza. I'm Agent Rebel," he presented himself, taking his free hand and leaning behind the chairs to take Zoro's and gave it a shake. He noted his strong grip and assumed that he was a field agent like himself.

The mysterious Robin was seated at the end of the table; she merely rested her chin in her hand and flashed a delicate smile to the new agent, her azure eyes glittering gently with a sort of knowingness in them.

Next was Agent Super. He stood up and reached over to Zoro to shake his hand; he was rather shocked to find that the agent wore a pair of Speedos and lacked pants, and eyed his Hawaiian themed neck-tie with intrigue. "I'm Franky, Agent _Super_!" he called, loudly and excitedly.

He distractedly shook hands, noting how his flamboyant attitude matched his dressing habits. He also noticed that he held a bottle of soda in his hand, and absently watched at the bizarre agent guzzled the drink down.

Usopp had placed himself at Franky's side, and was seated close to the pretty doctor Kaya. The pair grinned and nodded to Zoro, and immersed themselves into a private conversation between the two of them.

Next to them and across from him were the two pilots; they waved and gazed to him in admiration, Yosaku with his cigarette and Johnny with his cup of coffee. They, too, talked amongst themselves, glancing at Zoro every so often.

The little reindeer timidly looked at the agent beside him, another pretty female, one that Zoro had yet to meet. She had a peculiar hairstyle, and her uniform was pink rather than black with feathery wings sprouting from her back; a small, blue creature stirred quietly in her arms. She politely grinned to Zoro and bowed.

"I am Conis, Agent Angel," she introduced, and in indicating the periwinkle bundle in her arms said, "And this is Suu, my fox."

Suu emitted a small "_yip_" and bat at Chopper's antlers with a tiny paw. This made the reindeer laugh and pull his hat over his eyes. The fox's tail flipped out from under Conis' arm and flicked playfully back and fourth.

Seated at the other end of the table was a very strange agent indeed. He wore a mask and had the appearance of a panda bear. There were two bright red hearts printed on the chest of his blazer, and he silently sat with a determined visage.

"That's Agent Panda," said a familiar voice. Zoro turned and met the brown eyes of Nami, who had apparently switched places with Luffy. "He doesn't talk much, but he's quite a popular agent. None of us know what his real name is."

A soft snore sounded from the agent at Zoro's side; Ace had fallen fast asleep, his cheek resting atop his plate of steak. He was certainly among an odd bunch, but he felt comfortable among them, as if they were all part of one happy, and eccentric, family. Zoro glanced around at each of the agents, noting each strange quirk about them, and couldn't help but smirk. Nami suddenly cleared her throat and caught Zoro's attention.

"Zoro," she began carefully, "have you heard anyone talk about… the 'fever'?"

He shook his head.

A strange look crossed her visage before she continued. "A lot of agents have caught the 'fever' and they need to be careful. It can put you into a false sense of euphoria and leave you completely in pain."

Zoro still didn't understand what the fever was and why Nami was mentioning it to him.

"Look, I'm just telling you to watch out for it." She sighed. "Even if you don't get what I'm telling you now, you'll know if you catch it," she spoke, her voice getting softer and less audible with each word. She looked down to the table and focused her vision on a shining golden fork. "I've caught it once or twice…"

Curious and confused, Zoro opened his mouth to say something to her when another voice in the hall burst out from a nearby table. It was definite that it was a masculine voice, but the accent and vocabulary was heavily laced with a feminine tone.

"_Is it _too_ much to ask to get a cup of tea around here_?!"

Zoro, as well as all the other agents seated at the grand table, stared in the direction from which the voice came; Zoro, however, remained seated as the others sprung from their seats and took defensive stances. Apparently, this guy was _not_ supposed to be in the Onigiri Agency.

He was the most bizarre man Zoro had seen yet: he possessed a flowing pink cape, with two swans sprouting from either of his shoulders, and wore ballet dancing attire and a lot of make-up. He pounded a fist on the table with a low growl escaping his mouth. "All I asked for," he stated, shrugging his shoulders and shaking them almost as if he were shimmying, "was just one _insy-teensy_ cup of tea. I don't mind if it's peach tea, green tea, purple tea, or whatever."

Zoro heard the sound of several guns cocking; he turned and saw each of the male agents, plus Nami, around his table pointing a pistol at the effeminate man, with the other girls standing by one of the males for protection. Nami pulled him up by his arm and reached inside of his blazer. Zoro tried protesting her invasiveness when she shoved his pistol into his hands. He decided it best to follow his fellow agents' lead, and cocked his gun as well.

The feminine man gave an exaggerated pout and wagged a reproaching finger to the group of agents. "Now, now, don't you go pointing those dangerous things at me, boys and girls!"

One of the agents fired and the man looked utterly appalled. Zoro twisted his neck and found that Sanji's pistol was the only one smoking; the cook scowled and barked harshly, "Get out of here, Mr. Swan!"

"That's _Meester_ Swan to you, curly-brow."

Sanji fired again, this time striking one of the beloved swans. Mr. Swan let out a monstrous cry of anguish and with tears in his eyes whipped out a small device with a button, jabbing his finger on the red knob various times. Within seconds, a massive explosion blasted a hole in the ceiling, and a figure jumped in.

"Twixy! Twix, my darling, you've come to save me!" cried Mr. Swan, holding his arms out.

The figure donned a grey pin-striped mafia suit, and a long curved cow-like tail jutted out from her back. Her dark, shiny hair waved out from underneath her fedora, and she shoved a rope into the sobbing villain's hands. "Here," she snapped. "Just get outta here."

Mr. Swan, sniffling and weeping, quickly climbed the rope, and the cow chimera shot the group of agents a long glance before she climbed up after him. Once the dust and smoke had cleared, the rope had vanished and so had the strange adversaries.

The agents lowered their pistols, some of them quite pale. Several other agents, curious of all the commotion, had appeared and stared awestruck against the walls of the dining room. Sanji stepped forward and studied the hole in his beloved Dining Hall, exhaled a large bout of smoke, and tossed his cigarette in the debris. "I think Onigiri Inc.'s in trouble."

* * *

_Whoa. That's another chapter down. Thanks a lot for reading! I truly appreciate it. Comments and constructive criticism is loved greatly! Oh, maybe I should explain some things that were asked in reviews._

_Regarding pairings:  
(nervous laugh) Yes, there are pairings. But as to _what_ pairings there are, that is, as of right now, up to the reader. Let's just say I'm trying to be... diplomatic. ;) I'm trying to hint at whatever pairing you, the readers, want to see, but you'll have to wait until the end of the story to find out who _I_ pair them with. Some pairings are set in stone and are more heavily implied than others, but anyway... To answer that question, yes! Pairings exist in this story! XD_

_To: LoveHiei-Rine_:  
_Thank you for your suggestion! Ace's codename was HeatFist before I changed it to Blaze, actually, and I'm on the fence of which one to keep. As of right now, it's staying Blaze, but I'll keep your thoughts in mind! Thanks again, as suggestions are much appreciated. :)_

_Regarding Marines:  
The Marines (specifically Tashigi, Smoker, etc.) are part of a particular enemy organization that aren't in compliance with any of the other criminals. Don't worry, they'll be introduced soon!_

_I hope that clears a few things up! Thanks again for reading, and I promise to hopefully be better about updating!_

_-The Pineapple Husky_


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